New Australian PM names his first cabinet

Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd named his Cabinet today, choosing a woman to be Australia’s deputy leader for the first time and former Midnight Oil rock singer Peter Garrett as environment minister.

Announced as foreign minister was Stephen Smith, a lawyer from the Outback state of Western Australia who like many top members of the incoming government is virtually unknown outside the country.

Rudd’s centre-left Labour Party swept to power at general elections last Saturday, ending more than 11 years of conservative rule under outgoing Prime Minister John Howard, whose party also announced a new leadership team on Thursday.

Rudd said his team represented new and strong leadership for Australia on his key themes of education, economic strength, employment and climate change.

He considers climate change so important he announced the creation of a whole ministry for it.

The new Cabinet, including Rudd as prime minister, would be formally sworn in on Monday, Rudd said.

Most of Rudd’s appointments were as expected, including Julia Gillard – his No. 2 in opposition – as deputy prime minister.

In that post, Gillard will become Australia’s most senior woman politician ever, and will be thrown quickly into the top job if Rudd follows through on plans to attend a UN-backed climate change conference in Indonesia next week - leaving Gillard as acting prime minister.

Garrett, a former conservation activist who was enlisted as a star Labour candidate and elected to Parliament in 2004 after quitting the rock band Midnight Oil, had been Labour's spokesman on the environment and climate change while in opposition.

He will become environment minister and arts minister, but loses the key climate change portfolio.

Penny Wong, who will be Australia’s first minister specifically dedicated to climate change and water conservation, is a Malaysian immigrant who identifies herself on her Website as Australia’s first Asian-born woman in Parliament.

Meanwhile, former Defence Minister Brendan Nelson was today elected leader of Australia’s main opposition party, the Liberals.

Nelson defeated rival lawmaker Malcolm Turnbull by 45 votes to 42 – a margin that reflects deep divisions within party ranks after Saturday’s election loss and could suggest future leadership challenges.